This invention relatesd to the cosmetic treatment of facial skin and the like for the removal of materials from the skin surface and from the sebaceous follicles.
A technique known as "follicular biopsy", an extension of the non-invasive "surface biopsy", has been developed to extract the contents of sebaceous follicles so that the retrieved material can be examined histologically at the light or electron microscopic level, see the publication "The Follicular Biopsy" by O. H. Mills and A. M. Kligman, Dermatologica, 167, 57 (1983). The disclosures of this publication are herein incorporated and made part of this disclosure.
The follicles of human facial skin secrete a horny material (follicular horn) throughout the life of the individual. This material does not normally build up in the pores but is extruded and is removed by facial cleansing. At about age 50, and particularly in the skin of females, the follicles tend to dilate and fill up with horny material, which traps small vellus hairs. This debris distends the follicular orifices, giving them the appearance of blackheads. The surface of the skin becomes coarse and uneven. The lay term for these horny-filled follicles is "clogged pores".
In addition to the horny material in the follicles, other retention products such as bacteria (P. acnes) fungi (P. ovale) and a mite (Demodex folliculorum) contribute to the follicular debris.
Certain cutaneous disorders, such as acne, keratosis pilaris, ichthyotic states and fungal infections involve abnormal and excessive kerantinization. As does the age-related build up of follicular horn, these conditions also impart a course and inflamed look to the skin.
In all of the above described conditions, removal of the horny material and other debris from the follicles returns the follicles to their normal, healthy state and imparts a clear, smooth look to the skin surface. However, no simple method has heretofore existed for the removal of deep follicular horn and debris.
It would thus be desirable to provide a simple method for the complete removal of follicular horn and associated debris from the skin follicles.
Since removal of follicular horn and debris from the skin returns the skin to a clear, smooth state, such removal would be of a substantial interest to the cosmetics industry.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cosmetic treatment for the removal of follicular horn and debris from the skin.